Family's time in Beaver Meadows home running out

JAMIE PESOTINE/Staff Photographer
Beaver Meadows has exhausted most legal avenues to remove the Kancir family from their two-story, half-burned double home.

The clock runs out at 4:30 p.m. for the Kancir family's Beaver Meadows home.

"The last 10 years we've been living in fear," Dean Kancir, 41, said.

The borough has exhausted most legal avenues to remove the family from the two-story, half-burned double home. If the borough's solicitor does not hear from the family or their attorney today, the borough will file a writ of possession to demolish the "eyesore," officials said this week.

Beaver Meadows solicitor Robert Yurchak said the borough will alert the Luzerne County Sheriff's Department to evict the family from 90 Rear Berwick St. early next week.

Fire tore through the front part of the home in July 2003, leaving a burned-out structure that presents health and safety issues to the borough, officials said. Kancir and his wife, Chrissy, 41, and son, Andy, 19, have continued to live in the rear of the property since then.

Kancir bought 90 Rear Berwick St. years before the fire erupted in the front of the property, which was owned by Leonard Damico, who was renting the property out at the time of the fire. Damico sold the property to a relative but no improvements were made, and eventually the county took possession of it.

The property continues to deteriorate every day.

There is hole in the roof in the front home. Rainwater enters every time there is a storm.

Meanwhile, Kancir and his family fell on hard times in the past few years.

Kancir's landscaping business closed and he lost a job in the Humboldt Industrial Park.

His wife developed serious medical problems and he hasn't been able to find another job.

"Paying medical bills and fines from the borough has wiped out all of the money I had from a fire insurance policy," Kancir told the Standard-Speaker.

Kancir was unable to pay his taxes and the borough began fining him for code violations on the property.

Beaver Meadows Mayor Bill Hines said Kancir's taxes and garbage fees have not been paid in seven years.

Council President Tony Rusnock said Kancir's home is "really not the best place to be living."

"We're not excited about displacing someone from their home," Rusnock said.

Council has heard many complaints about the property, including neighbors who have concerns about property values dropping from the condition of the home that faces state Route 93.

Despite many legal actions taken by the borough to get the property cleaned up or torn down, the Kancir family has stayed in the property.

The borough has moved legally and steadily to take possession of the property, but not quickly. It has dragged on due to legal objections by Kancir's attorney, Shane Hobbs of Pottsville.

Yurchak said Beaver Meadows Borough Council served eviction notices beginning last October through an "ejectment complaint" following a county tax repository sale more than a year ago. The latest ruling in march was in favor of Beaver Meadows, and the borough filed a default notice, which ends today at 4:30 p.m.

A "writ of possession" will be filed, and sometime next week the family could be forced out of their home.

The borough defended its position, saying there have been many opportunities before the borough took ownership.

Kancir had an opportunity to buy back the property during the tax upset sale.

"It is going to cost us about $18,000 to demolish the property," Hines said. "All he has to do is find a place to live."

Kancir's attorney said he is seeking all available options for his client.

Kancir said he paid his taxes when he had the money years ago and he has no criminal record.

"I'm so beat up, I don't want to make any trouble for the borough. Our family was so happy at one time, we liked this home, it was our home, but now we're living so poorly," Kancir said. "I don't know what's going to happen."

tragan@standardspeaker.com

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